


Just the Way You Are

by Myx



Series: The Good Place: Secret Santa 2018 [2]
Category: The Good Place (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-01 21:41:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17251883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myx/pseuds/Myx
Summary: What if Michael took Eleanor up on her offer in getting burgers with her when they were in the library?





	Just the Way You Are

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Steadfxst](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Steadfxst/gifts).



> I don't own anything. 
> 
> Prompt: green, rough, and distraught

When Eleanor said that she wanted to get burgers, Michael blinked at her a half dozen times and despite his protesting, she was firm in her decision. Despite knowing her for over 300 years, and knowing everything about her, she still surprised him. As luck would have it, he was aware of a bar that claimed to have the ‘world’s best burgers,’ about two miles away from the library. He often wondered why humans claim to have ‘the world’s best whatever,’ or ‘world famous whatever’ or some sort of obviously not true accolade that was (apparently?) used to market a certain type of food to people in order for people who dine at a certain establishment.

Humans were so cute sometimes.

They got into Michael’s rented SUV and drove off to Killer Joe’s Bar and Grill. It was a nondescript building with a brick facade, large, bay windows, and came across as a quintessential dive bar. Michael and Eleanor walked up to the bar where the bartender looked at Michael with a disgusted look and made eyes at Eleanor. Eleanor immediately looked uncomfortable and brushed up against Michael’s shoulder so she was closer to him.

“Yeah, I’d like a margarita, please.” Michael turned to look at Eleanor and placed a hand on her shoulder. “And she’ll have a shrimp cocktail.”

“Got it, _old man._ Though why couldn’t she order for herself?” He stared at Eleanor hungrily.

Michael smirked at the bartender. “Because I know that you and Eleanor used to date when she was in high school and you didn’t treat her well at all, and if you even do so much as look at her, I promise it won’t end well for you. Got it, _buddy_?” Michael put his hands on the bar and leaned forward so he was dangerously close to the bartender. His normally blue-grey eyes had flecks on red in them.

“G-Got it, sir.”

“Oh yeah, and I’d like salt on the rim of my margarita; sugar would be wasted on me as I’m plenty sweet.”

“You didn’t have to do that, Michael; I can take care of myself.” Eleanor picked at her shrimp after they sat down at a table.

“I know, Eleanor, but I know Todd wasn’t a good person to you and I wanted to make sure that he didn’t try any funny business tonight.”

Eleanor smiled. “Why are you so nice to me, Michael?”

“Because you’re my friend, Eleanor. This is what friends do.”

“They scare the crap out of bartenders?” Eleanor took a bite of her shrimp.

“In this case, yes.” Michael smiled and drained the rest of his margarita.

“Can you even get drunk like humans can?”

“Well, yes, but it just takes a lot of alcohol.” Eleanor opened up her mouth to say something. “And, before you say that you want to try and out drink me, know that you simply cannot; you’ll be in the hospital with alcohol poisoning and being that happened to you when you were 23, I really don’t think you want to do that again, right?”

Eleanor nodded. “I’m curious to see you drunk, though.” She took another bite of her shrimp. “Or, at least intoxicated.”

“Hiya, Eleanor. I brought you another drink; it is your favorite, vodka and cranberry.” Todd placed the drink on the table and winked at Eleanor.

“Todd, get the fuck away from me. I told you that I never wanted to see you again, and you honestly should be in jail right now after what you did to me and after what you put me through.” Eleanor glared at Todd, knocking the drink on the ground.

Michael got up from the table and stood next to Todd. “You better fucking listen to her, Todd. You’ll have to go through her and me, and I’m _not_ from around here.” His eyes grew blood red, and his voice was low and dangerous.

"Go back to the bar before I call the cops on you, Todd." Eleanor go up from the table and stood in front of Michael.

* * *

 Two hours, two ‘world famous’ burgers, three rum and cokes (Eleanor) and fifteen margaritas (Michael) later, both Eleanor and Michael were starting to feel a little bit intoxicated.

“I mean, I don’t even think I’ll ever find love and you know what, that’s fine. I don’t need love. I don’t need anyone, I guess. I’ve spent the bulk of my life looking out for number one, me, and I can go the rest of my life without anyone. Love is just something that Hallmark sells; it isn’t real. It is this fabricated formula of lies, cheating, cheap chocolates, bad sex, and like flowers or some shirt. I’m unloveable; there’s nothing else to it.” Eleanor slurred, as tears started welling up in her eyes.

“Eleanor! No, no, no don’t say that. I mean…” Michael’s eyes searched the bar as if he was looking for something. “I know I was a puppetmaster in my neighborhood, but the love that you and Chidi had was real. I just wanted you two to drive each other crazy; it was never part of my plan for you two to fall in love.”

“That’s the thing though, Michael, why on Earth do you care so much about me being in love with Chidi. Like, so what if he was my first, and apparently only, love? Why have you tried to get that through my head so much over all of those moments who showed me on Janet’s modified iPad thingy? Are you trying to force me to love Chidi? Or, just show me that I can be loved or whatever?”

“Do you want to do karaoke with me, Eleanor?”

“Excuse me?” Eleanor wiped her eyes with a napkin.

“I asked you if you wanted to do karaoke with me.”

“But, I just asked you a question, well, rather a few questions, Michael. Deflect much?”

“Look, I know this looks like deflecting, but I promise you, it isn’t. We did this a few times in my neighborhood and I really enjoyed it.”

“I’m not really in the mood for singing, Michael.” Eleanor drained the rest of her rum and coke from the pale green glass and rubbed at her forehead.

“Fair enough. I’ll do it, then. Alone.”

Eleanor watched as the tall, lanky demon stumbled his way over to where the karaoke station was. He grabbed a microphone, pushed a few buttons, and waited for the song to start. The introduction to a familiar song started playing and Eleanor gave Michael a quizzical look.

“That woman over there,” Michael pointed at Eleanor as the song continued to play its introduction, “is one of the most amazing humans I’ve ever met. She’s distraught right now over a lot of information that she has just been told, and shown, so Eleanor, this song is for you. I hope it helps to answer your questions.” Michael smiled at her as the crowd gave Michael scattered, mild applause.

Eleanor clapped with the crowd, slightly awestruck that this was happening to her.

“Oh her eyes, her eyes make the stars look like they’re not shinin’. Her hair, her hair, falls perfectly without her trying. She’s so beautiful, and I tell her everyday. Yeah, I know, I know, when I compliment her she won’t believe me. And it’s so, it’s so, sad to think that she don’t see what I see, But every time she asks me “Do I look okay?” I say.”

The crowd cheered as Michael finished the first verse of the song, admittedly, a bit shocked that such a gorgeous voice would come out of him. Eleanor too, was shocked. She began to feel warm inside, a sense of comfort that she hadn’t felt in a long time.

“When I see your face, there’s not a thing that I would change. Cause you’re amazing, just the way you are. And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while, cause girl you’re amazing, just the way you are.”

Throughout the rest of the song, Eleanor just stared at Michael, completely flabbergasted that a demon, an actual real-life, honest to God (or Satan?) demon was not only her friend, but was in a bar singing a song _to_ her because he didn't know how to best answer her questions about how (or why) he kept on bringing up why her previous afterlife relationship with Chidi, so he decided to go for a more Broadway approach and sing his reasons. She understood perfectly. She knew why Michael had to do what he did. Sure, the song choice wasn’t the best, as Bruno Mars was slightly creepy with his lyric choices, but the way that Michael performed it was the most sincere thing that Eleanor had ever seen. Her demon buddy got super into it and fed off of the energy that the crowd was giving him. By the time the song was over, the entire bar stood up and applauded him. Eleanor was the loudest with her whooping and cheering. 

“I hope that answered your questions, Eleanor. I did all of this because I care about you so much, because, girl, you’re amazing, just the way you are.” Michael winked at Eleanor after she embraced him.

“Absolutely, Michael. Though, not gonna lie, I’m pretty impressed that I managed to pull an actual demon. Like, whatever about me being able to love, but the fact that I’m loved by a demon is way cooler than being loved by a nerdy, but surprisingly hot, philosophy professor.”

Michael blushed. “I sort of showed my entire hand, didn’t I?”

“You absolutely did, Michael.” She guided him through the crowd to the bar’s main entrance. “C’mon, let’s get out of here. The night is young, we don’t need to worry about picking up the rest of the Soul Squad until tomorrow morning, and we need to get you out of here before all of this fame goes to your head, demon buddy.”

“The fame isn’t going to go to my head, Eleanor. I’m perfectly capable of dealing with-” Michael was cut short by Todd thrusting a pad of paper and a sharpie at him, just outside of the bar, demanding that he sign it.

“He’s not interested so get a move on, dickwad.” Eleanor said in a rough voice to Todd. Eleanor watched as he walked away from them. Her eyes flicked to Michael's lips, and then back up to his eyes. “By the way, Michael, did we kiss ever during your neighborhood?”

Michael’s ears turned pink. “A-A few times. Why do you ask?”

“Well, you did sing that you could kiss my lips all day if I’d let you.”

“It is just a song, Eleanor; it isn’t real.” Michael looked everywhere but at her.

“You didn’t perform it like it was ‘just a song,’ dude. You got super into it and during that part, you touched your own lips, like you were remembering something from the past.” Eleanor gripped onto the lapels of his suit. “Do you want to remember, Michael?”

“Yes. Oh my, Eleanor, yes.” A heat started building in Michael’s belly.

“Let’s get back to the hotel room, Michael.” Eleanor winked at him as she took his hand in her hand, appreciating the size difference between their hands.


End file.
